After five terrific days in the Black Hills/Badlands area of South Dakota, I left the region on Friday morning, July 17.

I headed south to Nebraska — more corn and beef cattle — stopping for lunch at the Hyannis Hotel in the village of Hyannis, Neb. The food wasn't remarkable, but I learned a good bit about Ogallala, Neb., which I planned to visit that afternoon. Ogallala was and is a cattle town from where steers are shipped east by rail. The smell of the stockyards tells all — it is pungent. The locals call it the smell of money!

Anyway, Ogallala also plays a prominent role in the "Lonesome Dove" adventures of Larry McMurty's wonderful characters Augustus McCrae and Woodrow Coll; I've always wanted to see it. Turns out that there is a great little "old town" strip (see picture on Page 5E) with a general store, barber shop (no beauty salons there!), tack shop, apothecary and bar/restaurant all with wooden store fronts and a wooden sidewalk.

From Ogallala, I headed southeast to North Platte, Neb., which was the home of Buffalo Bill Cody when he began touring with his Wild West Show. Buffalo Bill, of course, led the slaughter of millions of buffalo on the plains in the late 19th century to make way for the railroad. I learned, though, what I believe is a little-known fact about him. After Teddy Roosevelt became president in 1901, he and Buffalo Bill toured the central plains together.

Roosevelt, who had visited the region years earlier when the buffalo was key to the ecology, was shocked at the desolation and negative effect the slaughter had on the region. Bill Cody, too, ultimately realized the damage that had been done and so the two teamed up to try to save the remaining small herd and restore the plains to its former glory.

Roosevelt created the "buffalo nickel" to remind the nation of the devastation that had occurred. And Buffalo Bill, who was at that time touring with his Wild West Show, formed a nonprofit foundation to receive the proceeds from his show. For the rest of his life, he raised millions of dollars to help save the buffalo, which thrive in the region today.

I left North Platte traveling east on U.S. 30 along the Platte River to Lexington, Neb., where I spent the night. I managed 350 miles that day.

On Saturday, July 18, I traveled southeast through Kansas. It is much like Nebraska with more trees, more hills, less corn and more hay fields. I passed through Salina and bypassed Wichita to the north. I spent the night in El Dorado, Kan., covering 340 miles.

The next morning I headed southeast toward Branson, Mo. Southeastern Kansas and southwestern Missouri feature rolling hills, trees, farmland, corn and cattle. I stopped in Joplin, Mo., for lunch at Granny Skeleton's.

After lunch, I hopped on Mo. 76, which is a great curvy ride through the Ozark Mountain foothills on the way to Branson. I spent a half day and night in Branson, which is a bigger, classier Pigeon Forge, Tenn. - not my cup of tea, but I was curious. The thing that makes Branson a bit more impressive than Pigeon Forge is that it sits in the rolling foothills of the Ozarks with some grand vistas of the surroundings from the scores of hotels. The main drag is lined with about five miles of family entertainment, restaurants and hotels. There are wax museums, classic car exhibits, stage shows, go-kart racing, haunted houses and mazes.

Glad I visited, don't need to go again!

On Monday, July 20, I rode through the Ozarks and into Arkansas, where I tried Arkansas' version of barbecued ribs. That was a bad move - they were nowhere near as good as Johnny's or Mickey Pig's. After lunch, I rode through miles of Arkansas rice fields to Brinkley, Ark., covering 290 miles.

My next destination was Muscle Shoals, Ala., and I wanted to avoid Memphis, Tenn., traffic, having already visited Graceland. So I searched my maps for a route that would let me swing south of Memphis. That's when I discovered that in the 350 miles along the Mississippi River between Memphis and New Orleans, there are only four bridges. The closest in the direction I was headed was at Helena, Ark.

From there I headed to Oxford, Miss., the home of Ole Miss (the University of Mississippi). I love hanging out on college campuses and wanted to spend some time in this gorgeous southern academic environment. I toured the campus, which was alive even in July. I enjoyed lunch just a block off campus at Proud Larry's Restaurant where the jambalaya was very different from that in New Orleans and very good.

From Oxford, I rode to Tupelo, Miss. I've been to Elvis' birthplace before, so I didn't go by the little shotgun house where he lived for a time. My wife and I rode the Natchez Trace from Tupelo to Natchez a couple of years before she died. It is a great ride on a motorcycle with lovely scenery and no commercial traffic. The speed limit is 50 mph, so you can't be in a hurry. I wasn't, so I jumped on the Trace and headed north toward Tuscambia, Ala., where I spent the night across the road from the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. I rode 275 miles that day.

On Wednesday July 22, I rode to Muscle Shoals, Ala., for a great tour of the Florence Alabama Music Enterprises Recording Studio. No one was recording that morning, so I talked the receptionist into a tour. Many 1960s and '70s recording artists got their start at FAME, which has been privately owned for all these years by a fellow named Rick Hall.

From there, I rode in the rain to Scottsboro, Ala., where I couldn't find a local restaurant and so succumbed to a Ruby Tuesdays that was unremarkable. After lunch, I cruised over some lovely eastern Alabama wooded mountains and into Georgia to Adairsville. Since I had spent half the day checking out the music scene in Alabama, I only covered 200 miles.

Then next day I rode from Adairsville to Canton. This is a pretty ride through Waleska where Reinhardt College is located. Unfortunately, I reached Canton well before lunch, so I wasn't able to eat at Williams Bros. BBQ, which I love.

From Canton it was a short jaunt back to Gainesville. I rode for 16 days in a row, something I've never done before. I covered 4,000 miles, with some days as little as 75 and some as many as 350. I got a bit tired on the return trip this time, so I think I'll schedule some stop-overs the next time I do this so I have a day or two off my iron horse. Oh, and the bungee cord did a fine job.

Next trip? I'm thinking about New Zealand in January.

Bill Rezak retired in 2003 after 10 years as president of Alfred State College in Alfred, N.Y. Prior to that, he was dean of the School of Technology at Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta. He and his wife, Paula, moved to Gainesville, and Paula was diagnosed with lung cancer in May 2004. She passed away in late 2006, but not without maximizing her time on her motorcycle.